3 Takeaways From Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay | 03/03/2025

Bill Zito is known for making bold moves when it comes to the Florida Panthers and trades, and on Saturday night, he made another one. Following the conclusion of the Florida and Calgary game, it was announced that the Panthers were trading Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick to Chicago in exchange for defenseman Seth Jones. The move fills the team’s need for another right shot defenseman and gives them term as Jones still has five years left on his contract. He got thrown right into the fire of being a Panther, with his first game being against in-state rival Tampa Bay. With a lot on the line, it was a big game, and Jones performed well for the Cats. In addition to Jones, Barkov also had a huge game for Florida. Much like their playoff series last season, there was a considerable amount of special teams, and Bobrovsky had another outstanding match as he climbs the NHL All-Time Wins list.

Barkov & Jones:

As Barkov leads, the team follows, and Tuesday night, he led his team to victory. It was a low-scoring affair with two future Hall of Fame goalies at either end of the ice, but Barkov got the better of Vasilevskiy twice to give the Panthers the win and snap Tampa’s eight-game win streak. The Cats had some decent looks in the first period, but they really found their stride in the second, despite all the penalties. Barkov’s first goal came just before the halfway point of the second period, where he forced a turnover near the blue line and then did a spin move to create some time and space for himself. Using Hedman as a screen, Barkov fired the puck over Vasilevskiy’s blocker for the 1-0 lead. On the Panthers’ second power play of the night, he won the faceoff and allowed the Cats to get set up in the offensive zone. Quick passing from Ekblad to Samoskevich let Barkov get open in the slot where he called for the puck, and a pass from Mackie found his stick, and he scored for the second time, giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead. Sasha also led the team in SOG and went 10 for 7 for a 58.8 FO%. It was likely more special teams than Jones anticipated playing, but he got the nod on the PK and played well. He had three SOG, including a great scoring chance, two blocks, and one hit. Seth put in good work along the boards and jumped up into plays when the situation allowed for it. Given his limited practice time with the team, he looked good and will only get better as he becomes familiar with the Panthers’ systems. Despite the criticisms from fans online after the trade was announced, it was clearly a win-now move to give the Panthers the best possible Cup window. With their staff and Zito at the helm, the Cats will be able to find another goalie when they need to.

Won Special Teams:

It was a copy and paste of the playoff series from last year, as the match was littered with penalties, mostly against Florida. The Cats apparently didn’t get the memo to stay out of the penalty box, or they wanted extra PK time to get familiar against the Tampa power-play should they face off in the playoffs. Florida was riddled with high-sticking penalties as Eetu Luostarinen was called for a double minor, and Nosek also picked up one; Reinhart also possibly high-sticked a player, but that one went uncalled. Mikkola took two penalties in the first period, one for delay of game and one for cross-checking. Ekblad was called for boarding in the second period, and the final penalty went to Lundell for tripping with nine seconds left on the game clock. With the Panthers’ usual penalty killers making a parade to box, Jones got plenty of time playing short-handed and contributed well, which allowed the kill to go a perfect 7/7 on the night. Ideally, the Panthers don’t want to take that many penalties against a high-powered power play like the Lightning’s, but it’s a confidence builder to know that their kill can be that good on any given night. Though the Cats only had three power plays, with one of them shortened due to a Florida penalty being called, Barkov converted on one of the others to give Florida the insurance goal. If they meet in the playoffs, the series could be determined by special teams like it was to some degree last season. Right now, the Cats hold the edge in that department.

Bobrovsky Brick Wall:

Just another day at the office for Sergei Bobrovsky and his outstanding play as of late. The only goal he allowed was a shot that squeaked through under his arm and took a funny bounce in. He had some help from Luostarinen, who made a huge clear on a loose puck that was in the blue paint and a couple of shots hitting the crossbar/posts, but what goalie doesn’t have a little help there from time to time? Bob stopped 28 of 29 shots for a .966 SV% and made two huge saves that earned him “Bob-by” chants from the crowd in appreciation. Tampa had several dangerous chances in front of the net or low in the faceoff circle. It’s often said that a team’s best penalty killer is their goalie, and Bobrovsky was that for the Panthers on Monday night. One of the Lightning power plays had four SOG, and Bob stopped them all. In the wake of the Spencer Knight trade and the trade deadline looming, we’ll see if Florida targets any goalies to play backup or if they’re feeling confident in Chris Driedger for the rest of the season.